


The Philosopher's Stone's Protector

by ilovelavenders



Series: Myth meets Magic [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Nico di Angelo, Gen, Good Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25803070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovelavenders/pseuds/ilovelavenders
Summary: This could have waited. I had been investigating Luke Castellan. I didn’t have time for Father’s quests right now. Only this time, Father wanted me to retrieve a stone. That’s right. A stone. A GODDAMN STONE! And then he zapped me over here. I looked around. I was clearly in the middle of a forest.It was then that i heard a scream.Set in the middle of Battle of Labyrinth & The Last Olympian AND The Philosopher's Stone
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Nico di Angelo & Draco Malfoy, Nico di Angelo & Hades
Series: Myth meets Magic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872037
Comments: 10
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

This could have waited. I had been investigating Luke Castellan. I didn’t have time for Father’s quests right now. Only this time, Father wanted me to retrieve a stone. That’s right. A stone. A GODDAMN STONE! And then he zapped me over here. I looked around. I was clearly in the middle of a forest. And it did not look like the pleasant kind. There was a light breeze in the air. It was late at night over here. I don’t remember the time, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t this late in New York when Father summoned me. I was probably _not_ in America right now though. I had to prepare for the war for the sake of gods. Quite literally too. I hadn’t finished my investigation on Luke.

A scream tore through the forest. I turned on my heel instantly from where the scream came from, and drew out my sword. The scream didn’t sound pained. Merely freaked out. The branches cracked in front of me. The forest was pretty thick from what I could make out of it.

The hair on my skin stood up making me cringe with a foreign uncomfortable feeling. I felt a horrible stench of death pass by. Horrible. It wasn’t anywhere close to where I was standing. It had probably…run away. I wasn’t sure how to describe that unsettling feeling. It felt dead but not quite…dead. I don’t think I had ever felt something like that before.

“Show yourself.” I announced loudly. My voice sounded hostile even to my own ears.

Quite peculiarly, it was a scared boy with a giant dog. Not as big as Mrs. O’ Leary. Not even close to her but in ‘normal’ standards, yes. The dog was big. The boy was wearing dark robes like that of a Greek sorcerer, but with a very bad taste. The boy had platinum blonde hair and grey eyes. His eyes though, weren’t bright or intimidating like that of a child of Athena’s. He seemed scared out of his wits. He looked behind once, frantically as if to check if someone was on his trail. He sighed in relief. He probably hadn’t heard me earlier because when he turned around, he gave a gasp of surprise backing away a few steps. I tucked my sword back in its place. The boy was definitely not a monster. Even monsters had a better fashion sense.

“What in the name of Merlin are you doing here?!” The mortal boy exclaimed.

He had a British accent. Did Father send me to Britain of all places? That would explain the time difference. And what was this fascination with Merlin.

“I could ask you the same thing.” I replied coldly.

The boy looked behind once more and helped himself into the clearing. “Thank Merlin. At least the thing isn’t after us!” The boy mumbled sounding relieved.

“What thing?” I asked, carefully.

“I saw a hooded figure come crawling across the ground like some stalking beast!” The boy said quickly and fearfully, shuddering at the mental picture. Really? “He crawled over to a unicorn and was drinking its blood!” He muttered as he clutched a stick in his fist.

Okay. That part was plausible. Did this boy really try to defend himself with…that? Either this boy had really bad imagination or he could see through the mist. I drew out my sword again, following where the boy came from.

“Hey! Where are you going?” The boy called from behind me but being me, I pretended not to hear him.

The forest was thick. I cut through the branches on my path by my sword, following the hasty trail left by the boy. I found myself in a tiny clearing where there was another dark-haired boy and a centaur. On the other side of the clearing, laid a body of a unicorn with its blood pouring out.

_“The blood of the unicorn can keep one alive, even if one is an inch away from death, but at a terrible price. One who dares slay something so pure and defenseless, will lead but half a life, a cursed life from the moment the blood touches the lips of the drinker.”_

I remembered the words from one of the textbooks that had been given to me by the Athena Cabin during my short stay at Camp Half-Blood. This unicorn was killed for its blood. What I didn’t understand is what did the text mean by _‘half a life’_. But the creature that did this, was probably the reason why I felt that particularly nasty stench of death a couple of moments ago. I folded my knees, closing the distance between me and the ground whilst on my toes, inspecting how the creature was killed. Some more people moved into the clearing but now, they were positively standing right behind me. I got up, turning around instantly on my heel to see if there were any threats.

The first thing that I saw, was a giant. Well. Half a giant but that’s not the point.

“Let those kids go you filthy little giant!” I challenged dangerously raising my sword.

“Whoa! Whoa!” The giant exclaimed. His voice sounded awfully like grumbled mush but was understandable…to an extent.

The dark-haired boy whom I’d seen earlier, talking to the centaur came in front of me as if to shield the giant, raising his hands in surrender.

“Hey. He’s a friend!” The boy said in the giant’s defense.

I raised my brows looking over the crowd. There were a total of four boys and a girl in the little clearing. All of them were wearing the same kind of clothes which as I described earlier…were less than what one could call even remotely fashionable. The dark-haired boy had round thin-rimmed spectacles on his nose and a lightning scar on his forehead. The platinum-blonde-haired boy was there as I said earlier. Along with the two, there was a red-haired boy with light blue eyes. He kind of reminded me of Rachel Dare. The last boy was chubby with buck teeth and dark-blonde hair. The girl on the other hand was really pretty with bushy light-brown hair and bright brown eyes. She was eyeing me rather peculiarly.

“Are you sure?” I asked the dark-haired boy carefully with a furrowed expression.

“Yes.” The boy said slowly, as if he were afraid that I would just blow up on him.

I probably could but…wouldn’t. This boy’s soul…had a feeling of its own. He was alive but it felt like a part of something that should be dead but…wasn’t had latched on to him. It gave me a feeling of uneasiness.

“Who are you, boy?” The giant asked me.

I looked up to meet his eyes. Okay. So, this was a ‘friendly’ monster. Kind of like Mrs. O’ Leary. Or Tyson.

I tucked my sword back in my chain belt and raised my hands taking a step back to show that I meant no harm…if they didn’t.

“No one. Was just passing by.” I said.

“You’re in the forbidden forest.” The girl spoke. “What were you doing out here?” Her voice held a bossy undertone.

“I could ask the same.” I replied raising a brow.

“They’re serving detention with me.” The giant said.

“Detention?” I asked flabbergasted. “Detention as in school punishment detention?” I asked. “Is this some sort of a joke?” Judging by the look on their faces, probably not. “What kind of a school sends defenseless kids into a forest at this time of the night alone?”

“Hogwarts is the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world!” The giant bellowed. “Don’t you dare insult it in front of me!”

I stared at them with a blank face. Did I hear them correctly? Witchcraft and wizardry? And Hogwarts? Did these people also have a thing for pigs now too?

“Are you off your rockers or something?” I asked. I actually sounded pretty serious.

“We are perfectly sane.” The girl said. She obviously felt insulted by my question but hey, blame me.

“Are you sure?” I asked again. Just to make sure?

“How’d you get here?” The giant asked, ignoring my question.

“The answer to that question, is none of your business.” I said with hostility.

The dark-haired boy pulled out a stick from his robes and aimed it at me. His eyes held the unspoken fear.

“Who are you?” He asked carefully.

Seriously? What was with these people and sticks? “You expect me…uh…to be frightened by…that stick?” I asked, confused. “Are you trying to poke me?”

The giant got in between us. He obviously cared for the boy. “Why don’t I take you to Hogwarts with me?” The giant asked. “You can then have a nice long chat with Albus Dumbledore.” He suggested.

Did I hear that correctly? Dumb old door? What kind of a name is that, anyway? Forget about them. I was worried for my own sanity. I guess my confusion was evident on my face because that was when the red-head spoke to me.

“You don’t know Albus Dumbledore?” The red-haired boy asked, speaking for the first time. He sounded incredulous.

Dumbledore, huh. That doesn’t make it any less stupid and weird.

“No.” I replied.

“He’s the Headmaster of Hogwarts.” The girl said.

Okay. “Well, then. Take me to him.” I said.

“Follow me. Stay close.” The giant said as he turned heading into the trees.

The dark-haired boy walked alongside the girl following the giant. The ginger one and the chubby one followed after the two while me and the platinum-blonde-haired boy were at the last. After a couple of minutes of walking through the dense forest, I found myself out of the damn place with the last step. What I saw in front of me…pretty much left me speechless.

“Holy Styx.” I mumbled.

It was a freakin’ castle! I mean Father had his own palace but it didn’t have this…aura of…comfort around it. Father wasn’t exactly Mr. Cheerful. The castle was about as big as Cerberus, Father’s pet dog.

“It reminds me of Father’s place.” I spoke absentmindedly.

The platinum-blonde-haired boy turned his gaze on me instantly.

“Your dad owns a castle?” He asked raising his brows.

“Yeah. His palace is a lot bigger than this but still.” I muttered without looking at him. By a lot, I meant a lot ‘lot’.

“Wicked.” He mumbled in awe.

The castle loomed over us. If Annabeth were here, she would have never stopped praising the architectural design of the building. The giant was about to delve closer towards the castle but I stopped him.

“Hey.” I called the giant. I didn’t think he’d appreciate me calling him a ‘giant’. “Judging by the lights in the castle, I think it would be safe to say that everyone’s asleep right now. I’ll visit your Headmaster tomorrow.” I suggested.

The giant turned around and shrugged once. “Yeah. You’re probably right.” He turned to the other the kids. “C’mon you guys, go off to your beds and sleep tight.”

All five of them nodded and rushed off towards the castle. The platinum-blonde-haired boy stayed for a moment longer than the others, as he waved me ‘goodbye’.

I felt it rather peculiar that he felt the need to do it but I waved back at him nonetheless. He grinned and rushed back into the castle following the other four.

I too now, was about to go back into the forest to take my leave but the giant stopped me.

“Where’d you think you’re going?” He asked raising his brows.

I turned back to him. “To spend the night.” I said simply gesturing towards the forest.

He seemed shocked at my words. “You can’t sleep in the forest! It’s too dangerous!” He exclaimed. Wow. He really was a caring giant. Or a good actor. “C’mon kiddo. We’ll go to my hut.” He said with a kind smile.

I wasn’t sure if sleeping with a giant breathing down my neck was the wisest thing to do in this situation regardless how friendly he seemed.

“Umm…no.” I said slowly. “I’ll be fine.”

He looked horrified. “It’s dangerous out in the forest my boy. You can’t spend the night over there.” He grumbled.

“Then I can take care of myself.” I said firmly and went into the forest without another word.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up as soon as the sun hit the station which was very early. But hey, it was a school. The night had been smooth for me. Sleeping in the shadow of a tree. I came out of the forest only to find the giant ready, standing right where I’d left him. He seemed oddly pleased to me.

“Good. You’re alright.” He said smiling and turned around to face the castle. “Let’s get in there now.”

I followed the giant inside the huge castle. The architecture was old and raw to be precise. The giant took me to a huge hall. There were four long tables inside with another one at the end at a higher level. The last one was probably for the teachers. The door had opened between the center tables. The giant walked in with me following him. There were students eating at all the tables. The giant moved to a side but I didn’t follow him up there. I simply stood in the center waiting. The giant walked up to a very old man, having a little conversation with him. My eyes darted towards the ceiling. It looked like a bright day with the sun. These ‘wizards’ sure had a few tricks up their sleeves. The old man raised his brows at me while the giant talked to him. Wow. I have a fan already. The giant nodded at something that the old man said and walked down the level back to me. So this old man was Albus Dumbledore. Didn’t look like much but the man seemed oddly…familiar.

“Dumbledore asked me to tell you that you can sit at any one of the tables and have some breakfast after which he’d meet you.” The giant said in a low voice.

He gestured me to sit at the table towards me right. I nodded at him curtly sitting at the table. I didn’t eat the food although it seemed pretty good.

 _When things seem too good to be true, they’re usually not real._ A certain child of Athena had told me that once.

These wizards seemed too polite and civil for their own good.

“Who’re you?” A guy at the table asked me with a furrowed expression as if to intimidate me. He seemed elder to me by a couple of years.

“A guy minding his own business.” I replied raising my brows, making it clear I didn’t want to chat.

He seemed taken aback by my answer and turned back to talking to his friends. The hall emptied soon enough as the ‘prefects’ led them away to their classes. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head slowly to see an old woman wearing a pointy black hat.

“Professor Dumbledore will see you now.” She said politely.

Polite witches, huh? Never thought I’d see the day.

I got up from my seat and followed her carefully eyeing every nook and corner for any sign of danger. She led me to the end of a hallway. I narrowed my eyes at her clutching my sword with one hand as it dangled from my chain-belt.

“Step over there.” She said backing away from me gesturing towards the golden statue of a giant bird at the end.

“Do I look stupid?” I asked her, taking out my sword.

“Excuse me?” She asked taken aback. “Muggle weapons aren’t allowed in the premises.”

“Muggle?” I asked frowning.

There was a moment of confusion on her face. “I assure you that this is not a trick.” She said firmly without answering my question and gestured towards the statue again. “That is the entrance to Professor Dumbledore’s office.”

She wasn’t lying. As a son of Hades who had spent his sweet time in the Fields of Asphodel during the judgement of souls (and with Minos. Good times.), I knew when one lied. But I could never be too careful.

“If this is a trick, lady, be sure that I will end you.” I warned, putting my sword back in the chain belt and stepping in the small round corner.

“Wulfric’s Bugs.” She spoke seriously with a sense of authority.

Was she for real? The ground beneath me shook. Right beside me, a series of stairs came out. I stepped on one and as the stairs continued rising, the bird seemed to rotate. Right. Magic.

Hold on! Magic?!

These must be associates of Hecate, the goddess of magic. Why the Hades had I not thought of it before?! I soon found myself in a room…of sorts. There were loads of trinkets around and a…phoenix. That’s a right. A phoenix. It eyed me warily as I did the same.

Immortal little creatures.

“Ah. There you are.” A voice spoke from the other side of the room.

I turned to face none other than Albus Dumbledore.

He smiled, stepping forward. “Who you might be?”

“Names have power, Mr. Dumbledore.” I said calmly.

“It is one of the most ancient sayings but no one pays attention to it.” He said after a few moments, in agreement. “I’m not sure I understand the purpose of your visit though.”

“I am here to retrieve a stone. It’s red. Glossy and small. Seen it?” I asked, seemingly uninterested.

“Why do you seek it?” He asked without a waver in his voice.

“It’s existence proves to be a disgrace upon my Father.” I said absentmindedly, knowing he wouldn’t give up if he didn’t get some answers.

“Your father?” He asked confused.

“C’mon. You wizards are either associates of Hecate or her children. You should know what I’m talking about.” I said in a I don’t like toying voice.

“Hecate?” He asked raising his brows more confused than ever.

“Or not.” I muttered, weighing his reaction.

“No one knows where magic truly came from.” He started. “However, it is written in our History that magic has been passed down to wizards and witches by the blessings of Hecate, the Greek Goddess of Magic. She blessed the first line of Wizards and Witches more than a thousand years ago.” He continued. “Nevertheless. Nobody believes the stories and the myths.”

I shrugged. “I never knew she had created a world of her own.” I said looking around.

“You talk as if know her.” He murmured, amused.

“Not personally, no.” I said. “Besides, I’m here for the stone.”

“I’m afraid I can’t give you the stone.” He said. “It’s not safe. Especially with Voldemort searching for it.”

“What makes you think that I’m asking your permission?” I asked raising my brows.

Mr. Dumbledore looked rather startled by my response. He wasn’t used to outright defiance. Especially from a twelve-year-old kid.

“I am just following my Father’s orders, Mr. Dumbledore. The stone you’re hiding shouldn’t exist. You appear to be a wise man. You must know that there’s no cheating death. It always _finds_ you. One way or another.” I said emphasizing on ‘finds’.

“You talk as one beyond your years, young man.” He said. “I understand that one can’t cheat death but the stone is best safe here for now.” He concluded. “However, I’m not sure that your father can draw a claim over something that my friend created.” He spoke.

“No. Mr. Dumbledore. I am afraid it is you doesn’t understand.” I said. “My Father is the Lord of the Underworld and he doesn’t exactly like people cheating death.” A pause. “Your so-called friend has been evading his fate for decades. You think it wise to incur the wrath of my Father?”

“You’re saying that your father is the Lord of the Underworld?” He asked raising his brows.

“Yes.” I answered.

He looked at me carefully, shaking his head lightly. “You really do believe what you say, don’t you?”

Great! Now he thought I was nuts.

“He isn’t lying, Wizard.” A female voice spoke.

A woman stepped from behind Mr. Dumbledore. She was wearing a dark sleeveless gown covered in runes. Her dark hair fell on her shoulders. She was beautiful, but deathly pale with an ageless hint to her. She had a visible green aura around her. The clear aura of a goddess.

I immediately bowed down in respect. “Lady Hecate, I presume?” I spoke.

“Indeed.” She spoke. “Rise, Hero.”

“Hecate?” Mr. Dumbledore asked the goddess, dumbfounded.

She merely laughed, lightly so. “I understand that it might be hard to process Dumbledore.” A pause. “The half-blood is right. The stone shouldn’t exist. And his Father is right to have sent him here to retrieve it.”

Luckily, he was sensible enough to sense the inhuman power that the goddess carried to perceive that she was indeed…a goddess. And that there was no mimicking such power.

She turned to me. “Nico di Angelo.” She spoke slowly. “I think that considering your parentage, my pet world would make a good home for you.” What in the world was she talking about?! I knew that Hecate had control over darkness, much like me (and my father of course) but what does that have to do with me staying in this world? I tilted my head, wondering if she was joking. She didn’t look like she was. One could never be too sure in my line of work. Is she locking me here or something? “It’s your choice of course.”

“I have a choice?” I asked incredulously.

“Well of course. What do you think we are? Barbarians?” She asked shocked by my response.

Well, yes? What was I supposed to say? I opened my mouth to answer the question but she cut me off.

“Do not answer that question!” She glared at me. People really should say that their question is rhetorical beforehand. A pause. “You have to stay here for a month and guard the stone. After that, you can either destroy the stone yourself and stay here or deliver the stone to your Father in the Underworld and go off your merry way.” She narrated as if she had memorized the whole speech. “If you do choose to stay here, you could have a family.” She paused, weighing my reaction. I kept my face expressionless, for I didn’t want her see my inner turmoil. “You will not have to revoke your contacts with your friends.” She added.

The proposal seemed tempting. “I can have a family?” I asked. I couldn’t stop the waver in my voice. Hope. Is that what it was?

“I can’t promise you a family, Nico di Angelo. My children aren’t accepted in the one place they can be protected. Much like you. I do, however, swear on the River Styx with the promise of possibility of a family.” She said.

My eyes widened. The thunder audibly cackled outside. She really did mean it but she never said it wasn’t a ploy. Gods don’t just go around throwing sworn oaths over the River Styx like that. Either she was being ‘over-generous and nice’ or it was a ploy on a broader level. Regardless, not accepting did not seem like a choice. Knowing godly stuff, this was probably a ploy on a broader level.

“I accept.” I didn’t realize that it was my voice but I had to see this through.

Hecate flashed me a brilliant smile and neared me slowly bringing forth her hand to my eye level. She touched my forehead with her fore and middle-finger. It was like an instant transfusion. It was like words invaded my head. Too many words. I felt an electric shock ring off in my head. It was too much. I backed away instantly breathing heavily. That’s it. The headache was gone. As if it never did exist. _You can trust Dumbledore. As manipulating as he is, he is trustable._ A voice spoke in my head. Guess whose it was.

“Well. That’s better.” She smiled.

The goddess pulled out a stick from her robes. The stick was pitch black in colour with a very rough structure. She brushed her fingers, caressing the stick lightly before handing it to me. As soon as I wrapped my fingers around it, the room darkened. Shadows flew towards me with grace, swirling around my feet. The stick reeked of darkness and I felt as if I’d just found a missing part of me. Not a significant one though.

 _The wand serves you now, Nico di Angelo. It will always return to you. Say ‘Gladius’ and the wand will turn to your sword and saying ‘Reditio’ will turn it back to the wand. Use it well._ Hecate’s voice echoed in my mind. Latin words. Of course. _Gladius_ meant sword and _Reditio_ meant return or revert.

In alarm, my free hand reached to my chain-belt. My sword was gone. I was about to break into a string of profanities when I realized that my sword wasn’t exactly gone.

“It’s like Riptide, is it not?” I asked examining the stick. _Wand._ I mentally corrected myself.

“Yes.” She nodded. She clicked her fingers once, and a bunch of stuff fell from nowhere beside me. “Well. That would be it.” She muttered looking at the stuff. “Goodbye.” She said and melted into darkness.

“That was eventful.” I muttered.

“I don’t believe this. I just met the Goddess who created magic in the first place.” Mr. Dumbledore said stumbling a little.

“Careful there, old man.” I said steadying him.

“I don’t believe this.” He muttered.

“I’m not proving myself to you.” I said, beforehand. “Take a deep breath.”

He sucked in audibly, and let out a gush of air a moment later. He put himself together quite quickly and coughed once. He then, looked back up to me with a soft gaze.

“Well, then. I guess we’ll get you sorted into your house at Dinner. Until then, perhaps we should have a chat.” He suggested, the waver clear in his voice.

I nodded. He led me to an open doorway leading to another room, except that this had an office table and chairs. The Main office at last. I plopped myself on one chair and crossed my feet on the edge of the desk. Mr. Dumbledore made himself comfortable on his chair.

“What’d you like to start with?” I asked casually.

“You said your Father is the Lord of the Underworld?” He asked, still in shock over that little piece of news.

“Yep.” I said whilst examining the stick.

“And he sent you here?” He asked.

“Yes.” I answered, now looking around the room.

“Are you a god?” He asked suddenly.

It took me some strain to hold back my laughter. I instantly turned my gaze to him. “No. I’m a half-blood. Half human. Half god. Demigod’s the official term though.”

“How old are you?” He asked.

I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about the technicalities so I simply replied, “Twelve.” A pause. “You said someone was searching for the stone. Volde - something?”

“Voldemort.” He corrected me. “…was…is…” He corrected himself. “… a Dark Wizard. Darker than anyone can ever go. Wizards and witches refer to him as ‘You-know-who’ or ‘He-who-must-not-be-named’. He did terrible things. He raised his own army of followers. Killed Muggle-borns with the utmost brutality.”

“Muggle-borns?” I asked confused.

“Not all wizards and witches hold power for their blood.” He said. “Some are born with magical powers to Muggles. Non-magic folks or Muggles as we call them.”

“He killed wizards and witches because of who their parents were?” I asked frowning.

“Yes. And if anyone who dared stand in his way, was crushed by him. People fear his very name.” He said.

“Sounds like a charming guy.” I huffed.

Mr. Dumbledore gave a small smile at my sarcastic remark. “About a little more than ten years ago, Voldemort tried to kill a little boy. A young wizard barely a year old. His mother stood before him with a counter curse, protecting the little boy with her magic at the price of her life. The curse rebounded, making young Harry Potter the sole survivor of the killing curse. Voldemort was never seen again.” A pause. “People believed he died.”

“But you don’t.” I stated.

“No. He didn’t.” He agreed.

“I am guessing this Harry dude is pretty famous among you guys.” I muttered.

“Very. The incident itself left a lightening scar on his forehead.” He spoke. “He is also referred to as ‘the boy who lived’.”

“As far as titles go, that one sucks.” I snorted.

“You appear to be someone who’s very used to these kind of things.” He stated. It wasn’t a question. Merely a fact waiting to be confirmed.

 _You can trust Dumbledore. As manipulating as he is, he is trustable._ I remembered her words and although I didn’t believe them, I knew that even if she wanted me to say something, it would be about my whereabouts. If all did was paint a broader picture for this man, he would choose to lay off of me and nothing more than what was already known to her would be revealed. A win-win situation indeed.

“You would be right.” I replied. I closed my eyes for a second and opened them, staring into nothing, for dramatic effect. “We, half-bloods, have a certain…scent as one could possibly call it. It attracts monsters. Violent creatures. They can literally sniff us out. Especially the children of the eldest gods. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Taking me into the equation. Their children are the most powerful and have the strongest scent. Half-bloods rarely survive past the age of twenty. We are either killed by the said monsters or on the quests given to us by our godly parents.” I paused, contemplating his reaction. He looked short to horrified at my words. “There is a war coming this summer. Against Kronos. The king of Titans. It will be the Second Titan War. A lot of our people are going to die. We will be forced to fight against our own brethren for they have turned against us and joined in with Kronos.” My voice was barely audible now. “I don’t blame them. Gods don’t exactly care about us. We’re the ones who do the dirty work. We’re just pawns for them.” I paused. “This life. It isn’t a choice for people like us. It’s kill or be killed.”

The old man clenched shut his eyes at my words. “Outrageous. Sending young kids to war.”

I chuckled at his words, without humor. “In my line, age has never really mattered. We learn to fend off for ourselves pretty early.”

There was a moment of silence. The only audible sign of life in the room was that of our breathing.

“Is there anything else I should know?” I asked suddenly breaking the gods-forsaken silence.

“About magic?” He asked. It was a rhetorical question. “Loads. Because of which, I am exempting you from giving your exams.”

Cool. At least something good had already started coming out of it.

“Anyway. I need you to swear on the River Styx that you will not reveal anything about my world without my permission.” I said seriously after a few moments.

“Pardon?” He asked confused.

“River Styx is one of the five rivers of the Underworld and is the most dangerous of them all. Swearing upon the River Styx is the most sacred vow. There are no loopholes. Breaking it, ensures a fate worse than death.” I narrated as if the words had been burned in my head.

Mr. Dumbledore had a grave expression. There was a moment of silence. “Very well.” He suddenly spoke, breaking it. “I swear upon the River Styx that I will reveal nothing about your world, without your permission.”

The thunder crackled outside in the clear sky binding the oath. The old man’s gaze snapped to the window as he heard the thunder.

“That binds the oath.” I spoke, without a waver in my expression.

He sighed, now looking at me. We talked a bit more.

“Oh, dear.” Mr. Dumbledore said now, looking at the time. “It’s time for dinner already.

“I didn’t notice.” I said shrugging.

“Well. Let me get the sorting hat and we’ll get you sorted in the dining hall.” He said getting up from his chair. “Can you find your way to the Great Hall?”

I simply chuckled as I got up from my chair, and casually stepped in its shadow. The last thing I saw before being engulfed by darkness, was the shocked face of Mr. Dumbledore.

I reappeared right outside the door to the Great Hall, opening it, quite dramatically. Keeping my cold face in check, I approached the teacher’s table. The students were already at their tables, eating away all the food at their disposal. Now that I mention it, I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything the entire day. The old man stepped in the room gracefully taking his seat as he leaned towards the witch with the pointy hat and muttered something in her ear.

After a few moments of conversing with one another, the ‘polite’ witch as I called her, got up from her seat and clinked a fork against a glass goblet twice, eliciting a shrill clink drawing everyone’s attention towards her.

“Your attention, please.” The ‘polite’ witch addressed the entire hall. “Due to some special circumstances, we find ourselves in the presence of a new student. It is your job to make him feel welcome.” Correction please. ‘‘Very polite’ witch’. She now looked at me with a small smile. “Let’s get you sorted now.”

She stepped down the pavement gesturing me to come up. I walked up to her and she told me to sit on a small chair. She then proceeded to put an ugly black hat on my head.

_This is strange. I haven’t ever sorted anyone in the middle of the year._

I nearly jumped out of my seat and attacked the witch.

‘The hat talks?’

_Of course I can talk! Wait. A half-blood? A demigod - half-blood? What in the name of Merlin?! The stories are true? A son of the Devil himself nonetheless._

‘Get back on track.’

_Right. This is fascinating. You have so much sorrow and darkness inside you._

‘You find that fascinating?’

_Not that. No. The knowledge you possess. The war that’s coming. Are you going to ask for help from the wizards and witches?_

‘No. They have no training in physical combat. Besides. I am not sure where Hecate’s loyalties lie.’

That was true. I meant it when I said that gods don’t just go around giving out oaths on the River Styx like that. This was a ploy that I was very unwillingly, a part of.

_Very well. I do hope that you win this war Nico di Angelo. Now. Let’s get to sorting. You are very brave, yes. This determination you possess. I haven’t seen anything like it in any of the minds I’ve peered upon. You carry much sorrow and darkness for your own good. I believe I know just the house for you._

‘Great.’

_What would you do if you realized that not all your family is lost? But not all carry a heart as pure and good as yours?_

‘What does that have to do with anything?’

The stupid hat didn’t answer. I sighed in defeat.

‘Family is formed by bond. Not blood. I am loyal. But I would never ever shed innocent blood in the name of family if that’s what you’re talking about.’

 _Very well._ “SLYTHERIN!”

There was a loud cheer from the table with green flags on the top. Is that the name of the house? Slytherin? Okay… The hat was lifted off my head. I nodded once at Mr. Dumbledore and turned to look at the table. To my surprise, I saw a hand struck out from the table, waving at me. It was that platinum-haired boy. Regardless, I went towards him and sat beside. He smiled brightly at me.

“Hey there. I’m Draco by the way. Draco Malfoy.” He said, grinning.

“Nico di Angelo.” I said quietly.

He gestured towards two chubby guys sitting on the other side of him.

“These are Crabbe. And Goyle.” He said.

I nodded at the duo and started to fill my plate with the food. To my great and utter disappointment, there were no happy meals.

Once my plate was filled, I realized something. I needed a fire. For the offerings. _Incendio._ The word popped in my head. It was like instinct, the way my hand pulled the stick… _wand_ …out of my chain belt.

“ _Incendio_.” I said quietly as I pointed the wand at the food on my plate.

In the name of my Father, a small fire gulped half of my food. Neat! Avoiding the gasps and stares of the other people at the table.

“Bloody hell, mate. What are you doing?” Draco asked.

“It’s a family tradition. Offerings to the gods.” I replied settling onto my dinner.

“Hmm.” Draco huffed with a light chuckle.

I shrugged at his response as I took a bite of the food.

“Yesterday. You looked like you didn’t know anything about magic. Pretty much nothing about the wizarding world.” He frowned as he said that.

“Later.” I said firmly and simply, eradicating any possibility of a discussion regarding the matter.

Draco nodded lightly, eyeing me with concern for a moment before going back to his food. After the food and dessert (That’s right. Dessert.), we were led out of the room by the ‘prefects’ to a basement kind of room but it was quite pleasant.

“This is the common room. Boys’ dormitory is towards your left while the girls’ one is towards your right.” Draco said gesturing towards the doorways on either side of the room. “You are probably sharing the room with me because mine is the only one with extra space.” He smiled.

He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the room. I was momentarily startled at the contact but I had no time to shrug him off. He was right. All the stuff that Hecate had dropped off for me in Mr. Dumbledore’s office was here. The room was dark. There was another bed in the room. The guy who had earlier called himself Crabbe slumped on the bed, falling asleep instantly. Draco shook his head at his blatant friend and turned back to me.

“So. Do I need to ask again?” Draco asked sitting on his bed.

I pondered for a moment, wondering how to start. Well, nothing better than getting right to the point. “My Father delved more into wand-less magic. He managed to keep me away from the magical world. I’m here because he wishes for me to be.” I lied fluently as I tucked my leg in the blankets, propping up on the bed.

“Wand-less magic?” Draco asked baffled.

“Yep.” I replied, popping the ‘p’.

“Why were you carrying that black blade? It looked really freaky.” He asked, curiosity laced in his voice.

“To kill monsters?” I said but it came out more like a question.

Wasn’t it obvious?

“You kill monsters.” He stated each word slowly, raising his brows in clear disbelief.

“My Father gives me assignments. There are giants, dragons, cyclopes, hellhounds…” I could have gone on but Draco cut me off.

“You’re serious?” He asked with a strange look.

Okay. Guess that meant these ‘wizards’ weren’t much involved in killing monsters.

“Yeah.” I replied.

“You kill monsters with a blade?” He asked again.

“A sword to be exact but yes. I do.” I said.

“Isn’t that…dangerous?” He asked, his voice taking on a higher pitch.

“It is. But killing them means that they don’t kill anyone else.” I said, thoughtfully.

“What if it kills you?” He asked countering my reason.

“Then I’ll die.” I said simply, laying back on the bed.

I knew that Draco wasn’t sure to whether to believe me or not but what he did know that I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I stared at the ceiling for some time, just wondering. I wasn’t even sure what I was doing here.

I had to prepare for the war that was coming. I had done some research regarding Luke Castellon. Regardless, the last I’d known, Kronos had been possessing him. But Luke was a half-blood. He was killable and even though Kronos, being the Titan of Time, was powerful, he could die for Luke wasn’t necessarily not killable. He would be a very unreliable host. Then what could possibly drive Kronos to be ‘sure’ about this?

I closed my eyes, thinking still. Perhaps. Draco’s question hit a sore spot. Sure. I knew that half-bloods didn’t live very long. We barely ever reached adulthood. I knew that I probably wouldn’t make it to adulthood, me being a kid of the Big Three. But it hadn’t ever mattered. It was like, hey. I’m going to die. But who cares.

It had never seemed so real. And now, there was a war coming. And probably my last fight. Maybe I just didn’t realize that it would be so soon.

I guess it was when the darkness consumed me, that I finally stopped thinking.


End file.
